Chocolate Zucchini Cake

By Gail Foley

I mixed up a couple of recipes for chocolate zucchini bread and chocolate zucchini bars and came up with this cake that everyone seems to love. So, I've made it several times since then with several different toppings – a dusting of powdered sugar, a peanut butter, buckeye topping and melted chocolate chips.

1 cup butter

2 oz. dark chocolate

2½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups white sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup buttermilk (or soured milk – ½ cup milk + 1 ½ tsp. white vinegar, let it set a bit to curdle)

1 small ripe banana

2 cups fresh grated zucchini (if frozen, thaw and squeeze out a bit of the juice)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with canola oil spray.

Melt butter and chocolate over low heat or in microwave, whichever technique is preferred.

In medium mixing bowl, lightly fold together flour, salt, cocoa, baking soda and cinnamon.

In large mixer bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine butter, chocolate, sugar, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and banana. Fold in zucchini. Stir in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread in prepared baking dish.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

While still warm, sprinkle with a bag of milk chocolate chips, spread with a knife to cover as they melt. OR

Mix up your favorite buckeye filling (peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar), warm it up a bit to soften, and spread over warm cake. OR

Let cake cool completely and dust with powdered sugar. OR

Use your imagination – Chocolate frosting, Cream cheese frosting, Buttercream frosting, etc.

Butterscotch Cream Pie

This pie was a favorite of my daughter’s teacher. We tried several recipes. This one was the best.

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

1/4 cup light corn syrup

3 egg yolks

3 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked

3 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 pinch salt

3/8 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a 2 qt. saucepan, combine brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in milk and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, scraping bottom and sides, stirring constantly. Boil gently for several minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat.

In a 1 qt. bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Temper eggs by gradually stirring 1/2 cup of hot milk mixture into beaten yolks. Pour back into hot milk mixture in saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook 5 minutes more over very low heat, stirring frequently. Do not let it boil or eggs will curdle.

Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into prepared pastry shell.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and pinch of salt until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over filling, sealing to edge of pastry.

Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Cool to room temperature. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator, several hours or best – overnight.

Blackberry Cream Crumb Pie

Aldi’s had these beautiful blackberries on sale – 6 ounces for a dollar. I bought three. I combined a couple of recipes and came up with this delicious pie. I have made it twice, since the blackberries were available again.

Serves 8

Graham Cracker Crust:

2 cups graham crackers, ground (14 - 16 crackers)
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup (8 Tbsp or 1 stick) butter or margarine Pastry for 9-inch one crust pie

3 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen (If using frozen, thaw and drain most juice)

Cream filling:

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup non-fat sour cream (non-fat plain yogurt OR low-fat buttermilk OR non-fat half & half)

Crumb topping:

2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

10 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 10 – 11 inch deep dish pie plate with canola oil spray.

Prepare graham cracker crust: Melt butter or margarine. Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Firmly press crumb mixture evenly over bottom and sides of a pie plate. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes.

Prepare cream filling: In a medium bowl, combine eggs, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla  and cream. Set aside.

Prepare crumb topping: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Mix with a fork, and pour in melted butter. Stir until the crumb comes together. Set aside.

Assemble pie: Put the berries in the bottom of the pie crust. Pour the cream filling over the berries. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top of the pie.

Bake for approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is just starting to brown and the filling is barely set. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Best served slightly warm.

Adapted from: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Fruit/BlackberryCreamPie.htm,

                        http://taste-for-adventure.tablespoon.com/2012/06/27/berries-and-cream-pie/

Rainbow Easter Cake

I found this recipe at BettyCrocker.com and made it for Easter dinner last Sunday. It was created by Arlene Cummings of cookingwithsugar.com. It was easy and fun to make, delicious and enjoyed by all.

Serves 12

1 box white cake mix

Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box

Yellow, red, blue and green food color

Buttercream Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, (4 Tbsp.; ½ stick), room temperature

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 – 3 Tbsp. milk

2 cups shredded coconut

Heat oven to 325°F. Generously grease 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.

Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and egg whites. Divide batter among 3 small bowls. Add two drops yellow food color to 1 bowl; mix well. Add 1 drop red food color to second bowl to make pink. Add 2 drops red and 2 drops blue food color to third bowl to make purple. Pour half of the yellow batter into cake pan. Carefully pour half of the pink batter over yellow batter. Carefully pour half of the purple batter over pink batter. Repeat layers (do not mix colors).

Bake as directed on box until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Place cake on serving plate.

In a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Keep it to the stiff side, because we will heat it in the microwave to soften. Divide frosting among 3 small microwavable bowls. Microwave 1 bowl on High about 5 to 10 seconds; add two drops yellow food color and stir until frosting is smooth enough to drizzle. With spoon, drizzle yellow frosting back and forth over cake in striping pattern until all frosting is used. Microwave second bowl of frosting; add 2 drops red and blue food color to make purple. Drizzle frosting over cake in same striping pattern. Repeat with last bowl, adding 1 drop red food color to make pink frosting.

Place coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag; add few drops green food color. Seal bag and toss until coconut is evenly tinted. Sprinkle coconut on serving plate around cake and in center for “Easter grass.” Could be decorated with some jelly beans on the “grass”.

Adapted from: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/rainbow-ring-easter-basket-cake/5749bd11-1d96-4f20-b8ec-5df06508fca4

Creamsicle Cheesecake

I found a recipe for Creamsicle Cheesecake Bars in Woman's Day Magazine. I just wanted a small pie, so I adapted the recipe to lower the fat and make a small pie.

7 (4 oz) graham crackers

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 pkg. (8 oz) Neufchâtel cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup non-fat sour cream

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 inch pie plate with canola oil spray.

Put the graham crackers in a 1 gallon food storage bag and crush finely with rolling pin. Put crumbs in medium mixing bowl and cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until combined. Press the cookie mixture into the bottom and sides of the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

Put the cream cheese, sugar, and flour in a mixing bowl and cream with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the sour cream, then the eggs and vanilla. Add 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate and beat to combine. Reserve 2 Tbsp of the batter and pour the rest on top of the prepared crust.

Whisk the remaining Tbsp orange juice concentrate into the reserved batter and transfer to a small plastic bag (the mixture will be thin). Snip a tiny bit off one corner of the bag and pipe lines lengthwise over the batter, spacing them 3/4 inch apart. Drag a skewer down through the lines to form a pattern.

Bake until the cheesecake is just set (the center should still wobble slightly), 18 to 20 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool completely in the pan, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours and up to overnight. 

Adapted from: http://www.womansday.com/recipefinder/creamsicle-cheesecake-bars-recipe-wdy0313